In this issue, NFPA Journal looks at the many challenges that public safety officials in rural areas face—from a shrinking pool of volunteer firefighters to dwindling resources for public outreach—and what NFPA is doing to help. PLUS: the age of public safety drones may have finally arrived; the 2016 U.S. Firefighter Fatality report; emergency evacuation elevators; a new NFPA active shooter standard, and much more.

Confusing regulations and a lack of guidance have thus far stymied the widespread use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in public safety. But all of that is beginning to change, aided in part by NFPA’s new UAS standard. Are we at the dawn of a new era?

Dizzying lights, loud music, and a variety of visual effects make today’s shows and concerts more of a spectacle than ever before. Can the systems and procedures in place to alert occupants in an emergency compete?